Magnificent Lies
by Number47
Summary: Explores Sydney and Vaughn's past as well as their future. (SV fic, there WILL be fluff. Possibly some JI in later chapters.) Vaughn goes undercover to be Syd's partner in SD-6, much to Jack's disapproval. But one magnificent lie could change it all.
1. The Mission

Magnificent Lies  
The Mission Part One

Sydney Bristow sat at her small desk at SD-6, diligently typing up her latest mission debrief for Sloane. The mission had been a total disaster, not for Sloane, but for the CIA. Dixon had prevented Sydney from switching the real information with the fake papers she had gotten from the CIA, and as a result, Sloane now had invaluable data on one of his largest rival spy rings, meanwhile the CIA got nothing.

Sydney tried to hurry with the report; she was supposed to meet Vaughn in the warehouse in half an hour, and she didn't want to be late. He was the one person she knew she could trust, always. She didn't have to think before talking to him. And now with her mother back and everything... Well, it was just good to have someone to talk to.

__

When he was sick... She was so afraid. Seeing him lying there on the hospital bed, not knowing whether she would see him again alive... Thank god the antidote had worked. Even though she had to help Sloane to save Vaughn's life, she would have done it again in an instant. Selfish, she knew, but it was the truth.

She had just finished, and was heading out the door when a strong hand on her shoulder stopped her. Sydney tensed up for a minute before she realized it was Dixon.

"Sydney, I'm glad I found you. Sloane wants to see us in his office before we leave. I think it's something to do with the information we picked up in Mexico City."

The first thing Sydney noticed upon entering Sloane's bare, gray office was the smile on Sloanes's face. Controlling her urge to strangle him on the spot, (as usual), Sydney sat down in one of the chairs offered to her by Sloane.

"I'd like to congratulate you both on a job well done in Mexico." Sloane said. "The information you brought back was most helpful. In fact, thanks to you both, we now know the exact location of the Entierre a Espía Comprime. More importantly, we also know how an agent would come to work for them. Which is exactly what I want one of you to do."

"You want us to be double agents." Dixon said.

"I want _one_ of you to be a double agent. And since the Entierre a Espía Comprime is strictly men, Dixon will have to be the one to go. Now, they have a building close to here, so your family will not have to relocate. Unfortunately, this leaves Sydney without a partner, and right now the agency doesn't have anyone suitable."

"That's fine. I can go solo for a while." Sydney said. She was sad to lose Dixon as a partner, but it would make it easier to complete CIA counter missions. No more mess ups like last time.

"It's settled then." Sloane said, then continued to go into details with Dixon. Sydney excused herself, then hurried to the warehouse. She was already fifteen minutes late.

* * *

Michael Vaughn paced the perimeter of the warehouse for the fifty-ninth time in thirty minutes. His left hand fingered a golden coin. To say he was worried would be an enormous understatement. He had been "worried" twenty minutes ago. He was way past worried.

All the possibilities were going through his mind as he completed another lap along the metal grate. The scenarios were getting progressively more awful with each time he circled. The latest one, in which Sydney was compromised in SD-6, tortured for information, and killed when she wouldn't talk, was the final straw for Vaughn. In the back of his mind he knew that going out to look for her, or breaking into SD-6, would most definitely get him fired, but the disappointment of losing his job didn't hold a candle to the grief and guilt he would have if Sydney was killed.

He was opening his car door when he spotted Sydney's car pull around the corner. He leaned against his sedan as she drove the red SUV into the lot, and sighed with relief when Sydney stepped out of the car, apparently unharmed.

"Finally give up on me?" She teased. "Sorry I'm so late…"

"Actually, I was just going out to look for you. You had me scared to death in there. Where were you?" He asked as they walked back into the warehouse.

Sloane pulled a surprise meeting with Dixon and I at the last minute." They sat down together on the small metal table inside the grate. "The information I gave to Sloane contained the location of the California branch of the Entierre a Espia Comprime." She slowly recited the address she had heard Sloane mention to Dixon on her way out, and Vaughn took it down on his notepad.

"Sloane wouldn't pull you into his office just for that. What else?"

"Sloane wants to send Dixon into the EEC as a double agent for SD-6."

"Which leaves you without a partner." Vaughn nodded. "This is just the thing we need right now. With Dixon out of the way, you'll be able to take down SD-6 that much faster. "

"Not only that. Sloane's going to be on the lookout for someone to work with me. The CIA can set up a third agent inside SD-6."

"But who would we send? As far as I know, there aren't any free agents who know enough about SD-6 to go in, and we would never be able to brief another agent before Sloane finds a replacement himself."

"What about you?"

* * *

_REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! I need to know if I should continue with this fic or not! Anyway, I've got some other chapters planned out, but its a really busy time of year at school, so bear with me._

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	2. The Confrontation

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* * *

Magnificent Lies  
_The Confrontation _

Sydney was curled up on her bed, lost in a daydream.

Vaughn at SD-6... She smiled in her sleep. She'd get to see him _every day._ She'd get to go on missions with him, sit through debriefs with him, maybe even be seen in public with him, depending... It was her dream come true. On the other hand, he would have to lead a double life, and she knew firsthand how hard that could be- and dangerous.

She was woken from her dream by the chirping of her CIA cell phone. (She had three, one for the CIA, one for SD-6, and a personal one. Needless to say, her purse was _very_ heavy.) The caller ID told her it was Vaughn on the line. She looked over at the clock. 6 am.

"Syd? It's me."

"Hey. Did you talk to Kendall?"

"Yes. He's going to hold a meeting today about it. Can you be here by seven?"

"Yeah, I have the day off at SD-6."

"Okay. See you in an hour."

"Bye." Sydney hung up the phone and got out of bed.

* * *

At five to seven, everyone was present. Jack sat next to Sydney, and Vaughn sat across from her. Director Kendall was at the head of the table, standing behind his chair. It took about ten minutes to explain what Sloane's plans were.

"With Dixon out of the way, Sydney will have a lot more freedom during the missions." Vaughn explained. "But Sloane is going to be looking for a replacement as soon as he can." He paused. "Sir, this is an opportunity. If we can get another agent inside SD-6, as Sydney's partner, we will be able to take down the Alliance that much faster."

"I was thinking Vaughn could be the agent we send in. He-"

"Absolutely not." Jack cut in.

"Dad. Vaughn has more experience with SD-6 than any other agent we have. If we wait to train another, we will miss our window."

"We do not _need _another agent inside SD-6."

"Dad, last week SD-6 got access to files that are helping them contact Entierre a Espía Comprime. If we had had another CIA agent there instead of Dixon, the CIA would have gotten that information. Sloane wouldn't have."

"It's settled then. Jack, I'm overruling you on this one. I want Vaughn in there by tomorrow evening." Kendall said. "Jack, I want you to contact Sloane, tell him you have a replacement. Agents Vaughn and Bristow, go to Op Tech and find Agent Vaughn some supplies he'll need as a double agent." Kendall then left the conference room and headed towards his office.

Sydney smiled at Vaughn and started towards the Op Tech division, but Jack pulled Vaughn aside before he could follow.

"Agent Vaughn," he growled, "If I find out that you have in any way endangered my daughter, I will make sure you never see her again."

"With all due respect, Mr. Bristow, I wouldn't make the mistake of believing you are the only one here who cares about Sydney." Vaughn said sharply, and followed Sydney.

Jack watched Vaughn's retreating back with a glare, and headed down the hall.

Ten minutes later, he was passing through the triple-doors that lead to Irina's cell.

She was sitting on the floor cross-legged, eyes closed. Meditating. After a long moment she slowly opened her eyes to stare directly at Jack. He felt an involuntary shiver run down his spine. Irina gracefully rose and came to stand near the glass, arms crossed over her chest protectively.

"I need your help." Jack said, his eyes finally meeting her unreadable gaze. She didn't answer, but tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "They want to send Agent Vaughn into SD-6. As Sydney's partner. I'm concerned."

"I suppose Sydney is happy."

"That's what concerns me."

"Interesting." She said softly, tilting her head slightly.

"Care to elaborate?"

"It would seem that you are intimidated by Agent Vaughn. Or by his relationship with Sydney."

"They don't have a _relationship._"

No response.

"I'm trying to keep my daughter safe." He said, trying to defend himself against Irina's attempt to get into his head.

"I'm trying to keep mine happy." Irina smiled, knowing she had won again. Jack was so easy. Needless to say, Jack left immediately, leaving Irina alone to her thoughts.

She knew the key to Jack was his hidden fears. He was afraid and she knew it. He was afraid of Sydney being betrayed like he had been. He was afraid of being shut out of her life, afraid of being replaced. She could only hope that this wouldn't get in the way of Sydney's happiness.

* * *

After a half an hour spent in the Op-Tech division, getting the gear Vaughn would need as a double agent, he was all set with a high-tech watch, an assortment of different bugs and bug killers, and an emergency SAT-Comm radio.

"Thanks for helping me with all this, Syd."

"No problem. By the way, what is your alias going to be at SD-6?" Sydney asked, curious what she was going to be calling him at work.

"I'm not going to have one. The CIA thought it would be easier just to delete all their records of me instead of creating a whole new person. So I'll still be Agent Michael Vaughn."

"Nope. Just Agent Vaughn." Sydney smiled as Vaughn rolled his eyes.

"What did my dad want before?" Sydney asked.

"Oh, it was nothing." Vaughn said, busying himself by adjusting his new watch.

"Vaughn."

"You know, just the usual death threats and the like..." Vaughn smiled. "He worries about you."

"I know. It's just..."

"I understand." Vaughn said. They smiled at each other for a minute before Sydney cleared her throat and looked down.

"Well, I've got to go home. I promised Will and Francie I'd help them clean the apartment today." She smiled again, looking up into his green eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded. _And the next day, and the next day, and the next day..._

* * *

_**Okay, what did you think??? Seriously, please review!!!! I love reviews! Should I continue???**_


	3. Secrets

_Magnificent Lies_

_Secrets_

Vaughn stepped through the front doors of Credit Dauphine the following morning and immediately felt a new closeness with Sydney. This is what she had to do every day. Walk into SD-6 and pretend not to know a thing about it's true aims.

Finally he spotted Jack in the corner of the lobby, who nodded towards the elevator. Vaughn waited a minute before following.

As the steel doors closed behind him, Jack spoke.

"You have an interview with Mr. Sloane in fifteen minutes-. Just remember what we went over yesterday and you'll be fine." He pressed the button that would take them to the sublevels of Credit Dauphine, where SD-6 operated.

Within an hour, Sloane was introducing Vaughn to the rest of the team.

"This is Mr. Flinkman, part of our Operational Technology division."

"Its Agent Vaughn- Right? Marshall Flinkman- well you can call me Marshall. Or Flinkman, actually, if you know, thats what you'd prefer."

"It's nice to meet you, Marshall." Vaughn replied, shaking his hand. Sydney was right- You couldn't help but smile.

"You're going to be working with Sydney, right? You'll like her, she's...." Marshall made the thumbs up sign with both hands.

"Marshall." Sloane cut in.

"Oh. Right. Back to the...." Marshall sat back down in his spinny-chair and began typing furiously on the keyboard.

Sloane motioned to Vaughn and led the way down towards the offices. Behind them Vaughn could hear Marshall call out.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Vaughn!"

They continued down the hall and came through the glass double doors at the end.

Vaughn was taken aback momentarily by what he saw. What seemed like hundreds of desks cluttered the giant room he had entered. He quickly identified the places Sydney had described to him; the debriefing room behind the mechanical glass doors at the far end, Jack's private office that could be seen through the bustle of agents, and Sloane's office, which, from looking at blueprints of the building, Vaughn knew was directly above the 'conversation room,' where countless men and women had been tortured since the formation of the Alliance.

Sloane led him over to a cluster of desks close to his office. Here it was quieter and less busy. Sydney sat at one of them, the other two were empty.

"This will be your desk, Agent Vaughn, you can get settled right away." Sloane said, pointing to the desk directly across from Sydney. "And this is Ms. Bristow, your new partner."

"Sydney." She said, smiling and standing up to shake Vaughn's hand.

"Michael Vaughn. Nice to meet you."

"I'll let you two get acquainted. I'll be in my office if you need anything, Agent Vaughn." Sloane smiled at them both and left.

"I like my desk." Vaughn said with a smile.

"Not much of a view, though." Sydney laughed, looking around at the hectic offices.

_That's where you're wrong, Syd, I've got the most beautiful view in the world,_ Vaughn thought, looking over the low divider at Sydney's glowing face. He put his laptop down on the table and began to set up his desk.

By noon, Vaughn had finished with his desk and completed all the paperwork given to him by Sloane. Leaning back in his chair, he glanced across the table at Sydney, who was detailing a mission for Jack.

"Are you hungry?" She asked, looking up from her computer.

"Starved. Is there a cafeteria here?"

"There is, but I usually go to the deli across the street."

Twenty minutes later, they were eating their sandwiches, sitting across from each other at the deli.

"You're right." Vaughn said, taking another bite of his turkey club sandwich.

"About what?" Sydney asked, taking a sip of the large soda they had bought to split. She couldn't believe it. She was splitting a drink with Vaughn, in public, at her favorite deli.

"About the sandwiches. This has to be the best one I've ever had." Not to mention that it was made a thousand times better by the beautiful, intelligent, brave woman sitting across from him. This was much better than his days spent eating lunch with Weiss in the CIA cafeteria. Not that Weiss was bad company, he just wasn't Sydney.

"And to think, we can come here together every day." Sydney said, looking into Vaughn's sparkling green eyes. She saw something there she hadn't seen before, a light that seemed to brighten the whole room. And she knew that it was the same emotion he was seeing in hers.

Sloane leaned thoughtfully back against his chair, then pressed the button for his secretary.

"Could you page Jack Bristow? I need to see him in my office as soon as possible. Thank you." He put down the receiver and waited. Finally his door opened and Jack walked in.

"I was surprised when I looked over Agent Vaughn's information. When you referred him to me, you failed to mention he was Bill Vaughn's kid."

"It seemed irrelevant at the time." Jack said, his eyes taking on a new, guarded tone.

"Of course it's relevant, Jack. How couldn't it be? Does he know?" Sloane leaned forward on his hands.

"No."

"Don't you think he has a right to know?"

"We're in the wrong business to be concerned with rights, Arvin. The only people who know are me, you, and Irina. I'd prefer to keep it that way."

"It's your decision, Jack."

"This stays between us." Jack said firmly, then turned on his heel and left the room in a huff.

Arvin Sloane smiled. This should make things interesting.

**Sorry about the evil cliffy... I'll post the next chapter ASAP, provided I get some encouraging reviews. hint hint**


	4. The Past Resurfaces

_Magnificent Lies  
__The Past Resurfaces_

A week later, Sloane called Sydney and Vaughn into the debriefing room. As they walked in together, Vaughn felt the same exhilarating rush he always felt when he was given a mission. He was curious to know what his first mission as a SD-6 Agent would be, the first test of his abilities as Sydney's partner.

Sitting down side by side across from Marshall at the long table, they waited patiently for Sloane to arrive. Marshall had just begun talking about his all-time favorite childhood superheroes (Wonder Woman being number one on the list) when they were saved.

Sloane clicked a button near his chair and a picture appeared on their screens. It showed a high-end hotel, and, judging by it's surroundings, it was somewhere in France.

"This," began Sloane, "Is the Montalembert Hotel just outside of Paris. Five stars, fifty-six rooms..." He flipped through a few pictures of the hotel, the pool, the city. "Owned and operated by Honorè de Mer." A rather fuzzled picture of a dark-haired, middle-aged man came up on the screens in front of them. "Formerly Mikhail Volkov, KGB. We have received intelligence in the past indicating he may have been an accomplice to the murder of a handful of CIA agents years ago. We only recently found him, thanks to a contact in Russia. Your mission is simple; run surveillance on him. If he is indeed the man we're looking for, we'll bring him in. He may still be a threat to the USA." At this last sentence, both Sydney and Vaughn fought the combined urge to roll their eyes and strangle Sloane at the same time. Marshall stood up at Sloane's signal.

"Well, this," Marshall said, taking a minute to fumble with the controller, "is the blueprints of the hotel, see the lobby and the entrance and the dining area and well, you get the idea. Now, our guy actually lives on the property, here." He zoomed in on an area of the blueprints to show a private suite with what must be a beautiful view over _la Seine._ Now, to do surveillance, you'll need a straight shot into at least one of the windows. And the only place you'll be able to get that from is the balcony of the Honeymoon Suite."

"Thank you, Marshall. So I've made reservations for Simone and William Lemire, a recently married French couple. It'll probably take a few days to get enough footage of him to make a positive ID, so we're sending you off for four days. Wheels up tonight at six. You have the rest of the day off to pack and prepare."

Vaughn could hardly believe his ears. Four days in a five-star hotel in France with _Sydney Bristow._ Just eating lunch with her for an hour made his heart light all day. He couldn't imagine how he'd feel after spending four days practically vacationing in France with her.

Sydney was thinking more or less along the same lines. It would almost be like they were normal people taking a normal vacation from their normal lives. And as for having to act like Vaughn's new wife... Well they'd just have to see how that worked out. She just hoped it wouldn't get weird or anything when they got back home to their real lives.

* * *

After leaving SD-6, Sydney and Vaughn went straight to the CIA, making sure to take enough detours to lose any tails, of course. Jack was already waiting for them in the parking lot.

"Sloane called. Said he was sending you on a mission to France, something about a former Russian spy?"

"Yes. We'll explain when we get inside."

In fifteen minutes, Sydney and Vaughn had explained their mission to Kendall and Jack.

"Why would Sloane have you waste your time checking up on a the _possibility _of a man who _may_ have committed murder years ago? We know its not to avenge the lives of those operatives, and I can't fathom Sloane giving a damn about criminal justice. The only possibility I can think of is that this Volkov has information Sloane needs."

"He also probably wanted to test Vaughn out as an agent." Sydney added, agreeing with her father.

"Okay," Kendall said decisively. "For now there's no counter mission. If something comes up, you can always use your SAT Comm. radios to contact us. If there's an emergency, we have a safe house in Normandy maintained year-round by a CIA contact." He waved his hand to dismiss them, but just before they closed the door behind them, he called out. "Talk to Ms. Derevko. She might have some useful information to impart before you leave."

* * *

Irina was reading when they arrived at her cell. It was in Russian, but Sydney could translate the title. _The Gulag Archipelago, _by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. As Sydney and Vaughn approached the glass, Irina closed her book softly and came to lean against the wall.

"Hello, Sydney." She said. "Agent Vaughn." She nodded, acknowledging his presence.

"Sloane's sending us to France for our first mission as a team. He wants us to find a former KGB operative, one who operated years ago." Sydney explained.

"How long ago?" Irina asked, leaving the wall to stand closer to them, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "I was on a personal level with many of the agents. I may be able to help you out."

"Sloane didn't say, but it seemed like it must have happened around twenty years ago. Twenty-five, maybe."

"What was his name?"

"Mikhail Volkov. He was a case officer..." Sydney trailed off. Irina had changed the minute she had said that name. Her arms moved down to cross over her chest, her eyes showed nothing, making it impossible for Sydney to read any emotion on her face. "Mom, did you know him?" She continued tentatively. She already knew she what the answer would be. When Irina got like this, she knew it was a lost cause. They'd never get an answer out of her. "Mom?"

"No." Irina said, and turned away.

* * *

After they left the cell, Vaughn turned to Sydney.

"I'm going to go pack up for the mission. I'll meet you back at SD-6 at say... 5 o'clock to prepare?"

"Sure. See you then." She turned and started towards the parking garage.

"Hey, Syd, wait. " She turned back around to face him. "It seems silly for us both to drive. If I pick you up from your house, you won't have to leave your car at SD-6 for four days." She smiled at him.

"Sure. You know where I live, right?"

"Yeah, it's on your case file." He had that file memorized, all seven pages by heart.

"So I'll see you around five?"

"Yeah." They stood smiling at each other for a moment until they realized what they were doing.

"Well I'm going to..." Vaughn began.

"I'd better..." Sydney started at the same time. They smiled again and went their separate ways, both anticipating the days ahead.

* * *

**Sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter out, guys... End of the marking period, know what I mean??? Anyway, next chapter should be up on Sunday afternoon!!! REVIEW and it might get here sooner!!! hint hint**


	5. France

_Magnificent Lies_

_France_

At a quarter to five, Sydney Bristow was ready to leave for France. In the last two and a half hours, she had packed up her suitcase, said goodbye to Will and Francie, and briefly glanced at her new alias's information.

Her suitcase sat by the door, neatly packed with the essentials. She had neatly folded enough changes of clothes to get her through almost every situation, and everything else was zippered into the many side compartments of the bag. It hadn't taken her long to pack; traveling as much as she did caused her to buy an extra of all her toiletries and pre-pack them.

Francie and Will had left at five to go see an early movie and have dinner with some friends. Originally Sydney had planned on going with them, but her "bank trip" had come up at the last minute, and this was a really important client.

"God, Sydney." Francie had sighed. "This always happens! Doesn't the bank know you have a life? I keep telling you, you have to quit that job!"

Will had understood, at least. Besides Vaughn and her father, he was the only person who knew the real her. Even though she felt so selfish about it, she was so happy he knew what she really did. She hated lying to her friends even more than she hated Sloane.

But then again, if it hadn't been for Sloane, she never would have met Vaughn. Interesting how that all worked out.

The doorbell stirred her out of her thoughts, and she smoothed down the soft white skirt she had changed into. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Hey."

"Hey." Vaughn stood smiling at her door. "Come on in. I've just got to get my purse." She said as he stepped through the door. She watched as his green eyes roamed slowly around the apartment, soaking in every little detail. They paused over the picture over the mantle, the one of Sydney and a group of friends taken at a birthday party. He was surprised to see that only one picture of Danny was visible; small and beautifully framed. He wondered what picture she had put in the frame he had bought her for Christmas.

"Nice apartment." He said as she came back into the room with her purse in hand. "It's exactly like I thought it would be." He had often thought about what her place would look like. Now he knew.

"Thanks. Um, I think that's everything." She said. He picked up her suitcase for her and carried it out to his waiting car. Sydney locked her door behind her and walked out to meet Vaughn, who held the passenger side door open for her before getting in himself.

To keep up the pretense of being a honeymooning couple, Sloane had booked them first class seats on a commercial flight.

"This is nice." Sydney said quietly to Vaughn as the plane taxied onto the runway.

"What?" Vaughn asked.

"Flying commercially, I always feel weird being the only one on a plane, especially one owned by SD-6. And you know what else is great?"

"No, What?"

"Being able to talk to you in public without having constantly look over my shoulder. I can do whatever I want, now."

Vaughn grinned, taking her hand in his and resting them on the arm dividing their seats. Sydney's face glowed with happiness and excitement, a fact not missed by Vaughn.

By the time the plane landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris ten hours and thirty-five minutes later, Sydney had drifted off to sleep. Even though Vaughn wanted more than anything to take every opportunity during this trip to get to know her more, to talk to her and be with her, he didn't wake her. She had been working such long hours lately; he knew she needed the sleep. Plus, she was curled up against his chest, her head on his shoulder, so it wasn't _that_ bad. Vaughn smiled down at her and gently woke her up.

"Simone, we're here." He said, making sure to use her alias, as the flight attendants were milling around nearby.

"Already?" She mumbled. "But it's only been a few hours..." She pulled herself back up into her seat. "Oh my gosh, Vaughn- I mean, uh, William, I'm so sorry! How long have I been asleep? Were you bored out of your mind?"

"It's okay. I slept too." He told her. He had slept, for about an hour over the Atlantic.

"So, I forgot to ask. What are we going to do with all our free time in France?" She said playfully. "I figure, since you're the Frenchman, you should be the one to pick what we do while we're in France."

"Well, there _is _a lot of French stuff we can do here." He said. _Yeah, like French kiss..._ Sydney thought, and then mentally slapped herself. Apparently Vaughn was thinking along the same lines, because he blushed and quickly added,. "I mean, uh, like we could go to the French Theater. Not many tourists know about it, but it's definitely worth seeing."

"Okay. You know, I've been to Paris so many times, but I never actually got to do any sightseeing."

"That can be fixed. In fact, we can kill two birds with one stone if we dine at _Le Totem._ If I remember correctly, it has a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower and has an amazing menu."

After dropping off their baggage and checking in at the hotel, a modern interior nestled inside a historical building, they called for a taxi and rode to Le Totem. Vaughn helped Sydney out of the cab and guided her into the restaurant.

Even though Sydney could feel the warm touch of Vaughn's hand on the small of her back and the coolness of the night air on her face, she still thought she was dreaming. And when she saw the view from the restaurant she had to pinch herself to make sure. It was late, and the sky was almost purple. The sky-lighted frame of the Eiffel Tower seemed to brighten the whole room with its soft glow.

"You can see why this is my favorite restaurant," Vaughn said as he sat down across from Sydney.

"How long have you been coming here?" She asked.

"Ever since I was little. My father used to take my family here on special occasions." Sydney got quiet at the mention of his father. She still felt guilty that her mother had taken that part of his life away from him. He smiled and reached across the table to hold her hand. "Hey. It's okay."

"What is your family like?" She asked.

They spent the rest of the evening like this, until the maitre 'd started to throw them evil glances, either for laughing too much or hogging the table for hours. Vaughn paid the bill, and they left the restaurant.

They walked around for a while until they found themselves back where they had started; right next to the Eiffel tower.

"Vaughn." Sydney said under her breath, even though they were virtually alone. "This has been... amazing. I can't think of many times I've felt as happy as I do now."

He knew. He could see it light up her whole face. He'd never seen this side of her before, and now that he had, he didn't know how he was going to survive without it.

"Vaughn." Sydney said, and then stopped, wondering if she could, or _should _ say what she was about to say.

"What?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything."

Sydney reached up and kissed him.

**_Here's a fluff chapter for you guys!!! After all the Jack/Irina darkness, you all deserve it!!! And I deserve a review, don't you think??? ï _**


	6. Decisions

_Magnificent Lies  
__Decisions_

Sydney felt Vaughn raise his hands up from his sides, and she was sure he was going to push her away. Instead, he put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. They only stopped when their need for air overcame their need to kiss.

"I think that answered my question." She said, breathlessly into his shoulder. He kissed exactly the way she had dreamed he would. It had started off hesitant and tender, but soon the built-up feelings of the past two years became compressed into a few minutes.

"Do you have _any_ idea how long I've wanted to do that for?" He whispered. "Ever since you walked into my office with that crazy red bozo wig on."

"Vaughn!" She playfully hit him on the arm. "How long were you planning on waiting?"

"Until it was safe. And Syd, it still isn't. It's too dangerous. I think we should wait." It broke his heart to say it, but his main concern was still her safety, not his own happiness.

"Don't you want this?"

"More than anything."

"Then why not? I can make my own decisions, Vaughn. And I'd rather do something for myself than let the CIA and SD-6 dictate everything I do. For once, can't we do something against the rules? Take a chance?" She kissed him again, knowing full well she could convince him of anything in this way.

"God, Syd. See what you do to me?"

"So we're going to do this?" Her heart went out to him as she saw him struggling between what he knew in his mind was right and what he knew in his heart was right. She didn't want to coerce him into anything, but she couldn't give up on them, especially now that she knew what she would be missing. She searched his green eyes and held her breath.

"Yeah." He kissed her again.

* * *

Irina Derevko paced around the interior of her cell a few times before settling on the steel frame that served as her bed. She had been trying to meditate, but she couldn't seem to control her mind the way she usually could. Only one thought was keeping her from the inner peace she strived to achieve. _He was alive._

All these years she had assumed he was dead. Her handler, mentor, and, during the last few weeks she had seen him, he had become more than just a friend. He must have changed his name, moved somewhere inconspicuous for a few years. God knows she had tried to find him, to tell him she was alive and still in business.

She had to talk to him. Now. And the only way to achieve that was to allow the CIA to capture him. She needed Jack's help.

Twenty minutes later he was on the other side of the glass, looking down upon her with that stony face he always got when he was around her. Usually it cracked her up. God she loved that face.

"You wanted to know about Mikhail Volkov. He was my handler for the KGB from the moment I started working there. During the last few weeks we spent together, we took up more of a... personal relationship. Then it became clear to me that I needed to be pulled from my position as your wife, and I staged the car crash. He thought I was dead. I never saw him again." Irina said all this in a flat tone, but

"Why are you telling me this?

"Jack, he knows who really killed Agent Vaughn's father. And if Vaughn and Sydney get their hands on him, he _will_ tell them everything. I really don't think that would be good for your relationship."

"How does he know? You promised me."

"I could never lie to him"

"You lied to me."

She frowned at him. "The CIA has to get to Volkov before SD-6. Do you want my help or not?"

"What are we going to do about it?"

"We could go to France. Get Volkov out of there, or bring him in secretly."

"We?

"He'll never cooperate with you unless I'm there. He trusts me. He'll do anything I say."

"How do I know you two won't turn on me?"

"You'll just have to trust me, won't you? Unless you want them to find out." Irina turned away, feigning disinterest.

"Fine. We're going to Paris. I'll get the next flight out of here." Jack left to strong-arm Kendall into letting them go. Irina was left alone in her cell, still thinking about Mikhail Volkov.

* * *

Meanwhile Sydney and Vaughn were just getting back to the hotel. They rode the elevator up to the top floor, and got out into a small hallway with one door at the end. Vaughn pulled the keycard out of his pocket and opened the door.

"Wow." Sydney said. The room was beautiful. Romantic. She looked over at Vaughn, who looked over the room and began unpacking. He started with his own bag, hanging up all the perfectly folded clothes he had packed. Sydney did the same, and then they moved onto the bag sent by the CIA. Vaughn tossed the telescope and tripod to her and she set it up on the balcony.

"Can you see anything?" Vaughn called from the bathroom. He was checking over the suite for any bugs or devices.

"No. The place is dark, but the blinds aren't drawn. Doesn't look like he's home. Find anything in there?"

"The place is clean." Their tourist act had worked; no one suspected them. "I'm going to send an update to Sloane and another to the CIA. I'll be right out." Vaughn hurriedly typed a mission status report into his computer and sent it to the Sloane, then wrote another and emailed it to the CIA. He poured two glasses of the champagne left by the hotel personnel and walked out on to the balcony.

"All set?" Sydney asked, taking the offered glass and making room on the cushioned bench. He kissed her lightly and they spent the rest of the evening lounging on the balcony and watching the ever-changing colors of the Paris night.

* * *

**Finally, Chapter Six!!!! I must admit I'm having fun writing this! I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can, but I have no idea when that's going to be. **

**Review please! I love hearing from you guys, and I'd love any suggestions or comments!**


	7. Two Pair

_Magnificent Lies   
__Two Pair_

* * *

Jack stood at the side of the street outside of the airport and hailed a taxi. As he talked to the driver and loaded the bags, Irina looked around and admired the marvels of Paris in the early morning. No matter how many times she saw the sights, she never stopped being amazed. No one knew this of course, except maybe Volkov.

The cab let them out at the rental car place, Hertz, and within twenty minutes Jack and Irina were driving off in a silver sedan.

"Where are we staying?" Irina asked a few minutes later from the passenger seat, already bored with listening to the radio.

"The Hotel Burgundy. It's located almost directly across the Seine River form the Montalembert hotel, so it should provide us with a good enough view of both Sydney's hotel room and Volkov's apartment. Sydney and Vaughn, of course, will have the better view, but there's really nothing we can do about that. We're going to have to be _extremely _careful while we're here. If Sydney and Vaughn see us, this whole trip will have been for nothing. And if Volkov finds out you're in town before we're ready, we're made. So lie low."

"I wonder how Sydney and Vaughn have been making out here on their own." Actually, she was wondering _if _they had been making out here. Alone in a romantic city like Paris in a honeymoon suite, pretending to be married... the possibilities were endless. But she kept her mouth shut in front of Jack; there was no way she wanted to open _that _can of worms.

"I'm sure they're fine, unless Agent Vaughn has done something ridiculous again to endanger my daughter. Most likely they haven't even spotted Volkov yet."

The rest of the drive was spent in silence. Finally they arrived at the hotel, and Irina checked them in as Mr. and Mrs. Shelton at the front desk while Jack parked the car and unloaded their bags. They took the stairs to their floor; the elevator was out of order. Their room, 4C, was clean but boring.

"This should work fine," Jack said, peering out the window onto their small, bare balcony. It sported a view of the Seine, and he could see Sydney's hotel, even pick out their balcony. Volkov's building, too, was in sight. He set to work assembling the tripod and high-power telescope he had bought special for this trip, all the while keeping a watchful eye on Irina, who was sitting on the edge of their bed and was inspecting the room, picking out every detail.

Finally the telescope was in position and working, and Jack put his eye to it and focused it on Volkov's apartment first. The blinds were open, but the lights were off and there was no movement. He swiveled the telescope up to view Sydney and Vaughn's hotel suite. Nothing there either. He could see one side of the bed, with a lump under the sheets that must have been either Sydney or Vaughn, but nothing else. He liked to think that there was a sofa somewhere out of sight that one of them had camped out on for the night, but if there was, he couldn't see it. Irina came over to sit on the balcony floor next to him. They spent a half hour this way before Jack went back into the hotel room to start unpacking, leaving Irina to keep watch with the telescope.

She lowered her dark eye to the eyepiece of the telescope and refocused it on the hotel room. A few minutes passed, and then finally there were signs of life from within the suite.

She could make out a form moving around on the bed, then Agent Vaughn slowly rose from the sheets and stretched, the went into the other room, out of her sight. A moment later he returned with two steaming cups of coffee and sat on the edge of the bed closest to the window.

"Anything?" Jack called from within their own room.

"Agent Vaughn's awake, he just got out of the bed. He's got coffee for two." Irina replied, then moved aside so that Jack could see too. She picked up a pair of binoculars instead. She zoomed in on the window just as someone else sat up in the bed; Sydney.

"You said Vaughn got out of the _bed?" _Jack asked in a low growl as he watched Sydney take the cup offered to her by Vaughn.

"Yes." Irina said, then watched as Jack's face turn purple, then slowly return to its normal color.

"Probably they just wanted to keep up the pretense of a newly married couple." His voice was unconvincing.

"Sure." She said noncommittally.

"Because if anyone's watching the room, they're going to have to stay in character. Sydney's just doing her job, nothing more." Jack stood and went back to into the room. Irina stayed out on the balcony for a few minutes to watch, then joined him.

"There's only one problem with your theory."

"What's that?"

"It doesn't explain the kiss."

"What? What kiss?" Jack ran out onto the balcony again.

"You missed it."

"WHAT KISS?" Jack said, turning towards her.

"Sydney and Agent Vaughn kissed. Can't you get that through your head?"

"How... I mean, what kind of kiss? Maybe they were just acting."

"I can't explain it, but it looked real. You can't just explain a kiss, Jack."

"Show me then." Jack regretted this even as the words were coming out of his mouth. He stood stone still as Irina walked closer to him, out onto the balcony. It was odd how little she looked like Laura Bristow when she practically glided over to him, what was even more frightening was how much more beautiful he found her.

"She was still under the covers, and put the coffee down on the table next to her after a sip of it and then..." Irina paused, sliding her hand around the back of his neck and putting his hand at her waist, "And then..." She said softly, trailing off again. Leaning towards him, she closed her eyes.

Jack was at fist paralyzed by the touch of her lips on his, soft and gentle. Kissing her again was like slipping back into bed after a long day to find it warm and more comfortable than ever. He tried to fight it, but he too closed his eyes, slowly pulling her closer. She broke the kiss, then looked into his eyes. He put his other arm around her and pulled her back to him, kissing her again.

* * *

Back in the hotel suite, Sydney finished off her coffee and put it in the sink provided for them. Vaughn was already out on the balcony, leaning on the railing. She came to stand behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Guess who?" She teased. He laughed and turned around in her arms, kissing her deeply. He slowly turned them around so that her back was pressed up against the balcony. The kiss ended, much to their dismay, and they just stood there on the balcony for a moment, their arms around each other.

"I love you." Vaughn said.

"I love you too." She replied, and she knew they both meant it, from the bottom of their hearts. She leaned in for another kiss, but Vaughn's attention was focused behind her. He could see a glint of sunlight catching off a lens somewhere over across the river. Next to it on the balcony he could see two people, standing close together, it looked like.

"What the..." He grabbed the telescope and brought the image into focus. He couldn't make out what was causing the glint of light, which had disappeared as the sun moved higher in the sky, but he thought he recognized the two people.

"Hey, isn't that..."

**So sorry this took so long, it's been a hectic week. I'm applying for a job on the town board and I've spent the past few days running around like a chicken with it's head cut off gathering recommendation letters and whatnot. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter and I hope you won't hold my lateness against me and you'll REVIEW!!!**

**   
REVIEW!!!**


	8. Blindsided

_Magnificent Lies   
__Blindsided_

"What? Vaughn?" Sydney followed the angle of the telescope. "Is that my parents? What the hell are they doing here?"

"Kissing." Vaughn said, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. "Here, take a look." He stepped aside so Sydney could see.

"Oh my god."

* * *

Irina's mind raced as he kissed her. She definitely had _not_ seen this coming. It was possessive, controlling... and unlike any other kiss she had experienced before. She could make this _work_ for her. Just let Jack keep thinking he was in control, and she'd have him in the palm of her hand. Finally she pulled herself away. She was about to speak when the hotel door burst open without warning. Sydney stood in the doorway, the lock pick and rake still in the old-fashioned lock of the hotel door. Vaughn was behind her. He wasn't quite sure he wanted to get caught up in the Bristow Family Feud, but he wanted to support Syd nonetheless.

"Who sent you here? Why didn't they tell Vaughn and I? Why didn't _you_ tell Vaughn and I? And do my eyes deceive me or were you _kissing_ just now?" Sydney blurted out all the questions that had been furiously pounding away in her head while they rushed over to Jack and Irina's hotel room.

"I think the better question is, why were _you two_ kissing in _your_ hotel room? I thought I had made it clear that I didn't want you to recklessly endanger your life for some boy."

"Were you here to _spy _on me?"

"It looks like it's a good thing I did. At least _someone _has your best interests in mind."

"Yeah, and that's me. I don't need you to be looking over my shoulder, making every decision for me. And you still have some explaining to do. Why would..." Sydney's face hardened with realization. "You're trying to hide something from me."

"It's for your own good."

"They have a right to know, Jack." Irina finally spoke up, earning herself a glare from Jack.

"We? What does this have to do with Vaughn?" Sydney asked, confused.

"It has everything to do with Vaughn." Irina replied shortly. She turned to Jack. "And if you don't tell them, I will. Agent Vaughn has the right to know how his father died."

"I do know how my father died." Vaughn said. Irina looked at him with an almost sad look on her face.

"No. You don't." She looked at Jack again. "Jack?"

"I'm thinking." He was weighing the situation. Telling them now would change so many relationships... But it might create turbulence in Sydney and Vaughn's romance. That made up his mind. "Fine. Sit down." They did, and gave him a moment to dredge up the memories he had tried for thirty years to forget.

Sydney reached over for Vaughn's hand. He was tense. Sydney knew how upset hearing about his father's death had made him the first time. They hadn't talked about it yet themselves. She gave it a squeeze and he gave a faint smile.

Irina watched them from her stance behind Jack. Her daughter was happy. Finally. But now came the real test.

"A little over thirty years ago, your mother and I were very close with Vaughn's parents. William and I knew each other from work, and his wife Sophia and Lau- I mean, Irina, often set up playdates between you two. You got along quite well, in fact. We had known each other for years, and became close friends. And then..." Jack's face was strained.

* * *

_Flashback_

_Jack set his keys down on the table in the foyer, and looked around. The house was quiet; Sydney was over at the Vaughn's with Sophia and little Michael. _

_"Laura? I'm home!" No answer. Then he heard a crash from the upstairs. "Laura? Is everything all right?" He started up the staircase. Voices were coming from the master bedroom. He rushed in. _

_"She's a traitor, Jack. She betrayed our country, she betrayed you..." William Vaughn stood on one side of the room, gun drawn and pointed at a frightened Laura in the other corner. She had her hands up and was against a wall. _

_"Bill! Bill, what are you doing?"_

_"I've got to kill her. She's killed others, too... Jack she's KGB!" Bill sounded hysterical._

_"Bill, you're not thinking right. She's done nothing wrong. Put down the gun."_

_"NO! It's for your own good!"_

_"PUT DOWN THE GUN!"_

_He didn't drop the gun. _

_A bullet slid into the chamber of a barrel. _

_A finger pulled the trigger._

_Bang._

_End Flashback_

* * *

"... I killed him. Ikilled my best friend to save the woman who betrayed me.It was shortly thereafter that Irina disappeared, and I learned the truth. He had somehow found out about Irina's true identity. He was trying to protect his wife, his little boy. He was trying to protect Sydney. He was trying to protect me. And I killed him. Irina didn't kill your father, Vaughn. I did."

* * *

:)**Evil cliffy, I know. But you've finally got some answers. Anyway, sorry about the delay. But you'll all be happy to know I earned myself a 4.0 this quarter! Yay. Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter in ASAP. In the meantime, you should review. **


	9. Since Feeling Is First

_Magnificent Lies  
Since Feeling Is First…_

Silence filled the room after Jack finished his confession. Sydney carefully watched Vaughn's face as he tried to set things straight in his mind. She could understand what he was going through; she had had to do the same thing when she found out her mother was alive. It had been a slow, hard process, but she had finally come to terms with her mother's past. And she knew she would do anything she could to help Vaughn deal with all this new information.

She tried herself to make sense of what was going on. Jack had come here to stop her from talking to Volkov; she knew this. So he must be linked somehow to the death of Vaughn's father. Because Irina had accompanied Jack, she suspected they had worked together in the KGB. That much made sense. But the rest… She didn't know. She had always felt a little guilty, being so close to Vaughn, because she thought her mother had killed his father. She wondered how he could care for her when she was the offspring of his fathers killer. And know things were turned upside-down.

Her thoughts were cut off by Jack's voice.

"Where's Irina?" He asked, his eyes looking around the small hotel room. Sydney and Vaughn, too, got up and searched. She was nowhere to be found. They all looked to the balcony.

"Oh no… No…" Sydney murmered ash she rushed to the edge of the balcony and looking down to the streets below. The building was made with large bricks, making it easy to climb down. A story below, there was a large ledge. It would have been easy for Irina to climb down onto the ledge and escape through one of the rooms below. "She's gone."

"There's no chance of finding her in Paris. She could be anywhere by now." Jack said, his eyes narrowing and lips thinning. "She planned this… But if I know Irina, I know she's not going anywhere without Volkov."

"We'll have to trap her then." Vaughn said, speaking up for the first time. Jack nodded, then walked off to make some calls. Meanwhile, Sydney looked around the room again.

Vaughn watched her, knowing what she had been thinking before Irina's escape. He hated that she felt guilty when she shouldn't. Yes, Jack had killed his father. Yes, it was a great shock and yes, it would take a while for him to wrap his mind around the idea and come to terms with it. But it all boiled down to that his father was dead. It didn't matter if Sydney's mother killed him or her father killed him, he was dead. And he was still in love with Sydney. He was about to say something when suddenly her expression changed from one of thoughtful observation to one of confused focus as her eyes locked onto an object on the balcony.

"Syd?" He questioned as she slowly rose and walked towards it. "Syd what is it?" She didn't answer, but pulled a book out from underneath the worn cushion of the chair. An envelope was stuck inside. He quickly stood up to join her. Sydney turned the book over in her hands to read the engraved title on the leather cover. It was a first edition copy of "a collection of poems by ee cummings," Sydney traced the words with her fingertips, then opened the inside cover, upon which there was an inscription.

"To Laura, with all my love, forever and a day. Jack" Sydney read aloud. "This is one of the books he sent my mother…" She flipped through the pages to where the envelope served as a bookmark in the pages. It was addressed to them both in Irina's handwriting. Sydney removed the piece of hotel stationery inside.

_Sydney and Vaughn;_

_I give this to you both in the hope that you will take it to heart and that you won't let your past dictate your future. This might be hard to understand, but remember; Truth takes time. _

_Irina_

Sydney replaced the letter and turned her attention back to the book. It was open to page forty-seven.

_since feeling is first  
who pays any attention to the syntax of things  
will never wholly kiss you  
wholly to be a fool  
while Spring is in the world _

my blood approves,  
and kisses are a better fate  
than wisdom  
lady i swear by all flowers. Don't cry  
-the best gesture of my brain is less than  
your eyelids' flutter which says

_we are for each other: then  
laugh, leaning back in my arms  
for life's not a paragraph _

And death i think is no parenthesis

Sydney finished reading the poem, and finally understood what Irina's cryptic letter had meant.

"What do you think?" She asked Vaughn, who was standing behind her, his hand on the small of her back.

"I think she's right. Our pasts… Our families' pasts… They have nothing to do with our relationship. And I don't think that I'd be willing to trade anything for what we have." He smiled at her as she turned around to face him, his arm still around her waist.

"I agree. I love you, and nothing can change that."

"I love you, too." Vaughn said, reaching up with his free hand to touch her cheek, then pulling her in for a kiss. His hand trailed through her hair and slid down to join the other on her back as she moved closer. A moment later he felt her hands around his neck, and the kiss deepened.

"Ahem." Jack cleared his throat loudly from the door. They reluctantly moved apart, each looking guilty but still smiling. "About that…" Jack began.

"Oh, no. You don't get to do that." Sydney said, still grinning. "You kissed mom. You don't ask questions, we don't ask questions."

"Fair enough…" Jack said, his face turning a bit red though he was clearly unhappy with the fact he was being blackmailed by his daughter. He didn't, however, miss the chance to give Vaughn a glare that was worth a thousand words, though it could be summed up in two sentences. _Watch your step, Vaughn. I still don't like you, and this is _far_ from over._

Vaughn, however, pretended not to notice the mental bullets Jack was shooting at him, instead taking a quick glance out onto the balcony again before changing the subject.

"So… How are we going to find Irina?"

* * *

They spent the next half an hour making plans. They each took turns surveilling Volkov's apartment while the other two brainstormed. They were about to go drive around the city to see if they might get lucky and find her when they heard two pairs of feet stop outside their door. The sound of the key being inserted into the lock followed quickly, then the knob turned and the door swung open. 

Irina stepped into the hotel room, followed by a tall, dark man that could only be Volkov.

* * *

**Hi guys, I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank all my great readers. Seriously you guys are great, you review and review and review!!! Anyway, the poem, "Since Feeling is First" is by ee cummings (duh its in the story!!), one of my favorite poets. I read it and immediately knew I wanted to use it for SV!!!**

**Keep up the great reviews; I can't get motivated to write without them!!!**


	10. Time

**A/N: Hi everyone… Just wanted to let you know that I'm really enjoying the reviews! Keep 'em coming, because there's no way I can write without the reviews from you guys!!! Any suggestions are welcome too! Oh, and check out my other fics, Caught Up In Reality, which is finished and a whole bunch of you have probably already read, and Love and War, which is JI SV and only one chapter in. R&R!**

* * *

_Magnificent Lies  
Time_

Irina looked around at Jack's confused glare, (a combination that would have been funny if anyone had been paying attention to him,) and Sydney and Vaughn's surprised stares.

"What?" She asked, innocently, knowing exactly why she was getting this response. Sydney was the first to recompose herself enough to speak.

"You… You came back. Why?" She could have been free; it would have been easy to escape the grasp of the CIA and run away once she got out of Paris. It was so un-Irina, yet so Irina at the same time.

"Of course I came back. I only left to get him." She motioned to the man standing behind her. "But I knew there was no way Jack was going to just let me go by myself to get a former KGB operative I'd worked with before. It was the only way."

"And the note you left? I thought you were saying goodbye." Sydney asked. Everything made sense, except the letter.

"I was saying goodbye. There was no way to ensure that Volkov would still be loyal to the KGB, that he wouldn't turn on me. It could have been a trap." Irina explained, then her matter-of-fact tone turned lighter, a small smile creasing the features of her face. "Besides, I thought you might pay more attention to it if you thought I was gone." Jack cut in, seeing that the conversation was slowly making its way back to Sydney and Vaughn's relationship.

"You just walked right in there, no backup, no plan, and he agreed to come into CIA custody?" He asked incredulously. He had to admit to himself, though, he was impressed. Not many people could just walk up to someone they hadn't seen in who knows how long and get them to cooperate with the CIA. Unless it was a trap. He studied her, noting the somehow lifted mood, her firm, proud stance, and most of all, the way she acted almost… happy. This took almost ten years off her face, smoothing the wrinkles that had resulted from frustration, anger, worry, and deep thought over the years. The effect reminded him of Laura, the way she used to hold herself in much the same way and the bright eyes that had first attracted him to her. His thoughts, however, were cut off by Irina's response.

"He knows me and trusts me. He also is aware that SD-6 is looking for him, and decided that he would be better of in American custody, where he would have some rights, as opposed to SD-6, where he would most likely be tortured and killed." Irina stated, logically laying out the facts.

"I'll need to question him while we're here, plan out a way to get him back to the US without arousing suspicion from SD-6, and verify his identity." Jack said, thinking as he spoke. Irina caught his eye, a different expression on her face. "What?"

"He's agreed to undergo questioning while we're here, but under two conditions." She paused, noticing how Jack rocked back onto his heels, withdrawing from her as he realized he wouldn't be in full control of the situation. "One, I stay with him at all times. And two, he will only be questioned by Sydney." She could practically hear Jack's gears turning in his mind as he thought about it. On the one hand, leaving Irina and Volkov, two highly trained ex-KGB agents, in the same room with only Sydney seemed like a bad idea. They could easily take her hostage and use her to overthrow Jack. On the other hand, Irina had returned to the hotel room, where she had nothing to gain, as opposed to escaping with her old handler and wreaking havoc on the world with him. He opened his mouth, intending to refuse and handcuff them both before they could go anywhere, but Irina held his gaze. Suddenly he found himself looking past her usual barrier and searching deeper in her. There were no secrets there, no sly glances, just Irina. She looked like another person. He closed his mouth and swallowed, unable to drag his gaze away from her eyes.

"Okay." He heard himself say, then watched in shock as Sydney led the two of them into the bedroom to interrogate them, closing the door after giving Jack a reassuring smile.

Meanwhile Vaughn had watched the exchange in silence, wondering what was going on. In the back of his mind there was a little voice that kept on telling him that he was looking at the man who had killed his father- the man that he had sworn to kill as a young man of sixteen when his mother had told him the truth about his father's death. Or what they thought was the truth.

Jack turned to face him, at that moment realizing that he was alone with Vaughn.

"You never told me I knew Sydney before she came to the CIA." Vaughn stated, not quite ready to address the other things Jack hadn't told him. Not yet.

"You grew up together." Jack tried to smile. "Not many six year old boys would have wanted to spend time with a little girl, but when you thought no one was watching, you would go and play with her, whatever game she wanted." His smile became easier, more genuine as he remembered Sydney's childhood. Vaughn too, grinned as he tried to remember young Sydney, but he couldn't seem to find the memories. Both smiles faded as they slowly came back to reality.

Vaughn looked at Jack, really looked at him. He didn't look any different, but he wasn't the same. At least Vaughn didn't view him that way. He made more sense now. And, as odd as it was, Vaughn didn't hate him. He didn't even dislike him. He sympathized with him, of all things. He could finally relate to the father of the woman he loved. And somehow, that brought him closer to Sydney.

"Your father was a good man. A better man than I'll ever be." Jack said, as if reading Vaughn's mind. "Somehow, he never let work get in the way of his home life. He had a balance that I've never been able to achieve."

"Tell me about him." Vaughn asked. He had never really learned much about his father; his mother never wanted to talk about him, it was simply too hard, and his twin sisters were too young to remember much, even though they were a year older than him.

"He looked just like you. Same eyes, same nose. But your mouth is so like your mothers. He was a hard worker, but would never take on anything that might get in the way of his time spent with you. He loved hockey, and was teaching you to skate."

Jack continued on for some time, with Vaughn asking questions about the man he had never known. Finally Jack stopped, looking down at his hands.

"I know what it's like to lose a father. Mine died when I was eight. My mother remarried a few years later, but…" He looked up at Vaughn again. "I'm sorry I took your father away from you." Vaughn nodded, his head still full of the pictures Jack had painted for him.

"Thank you. It's just… It's going to be rough for a while."

"Truth takes time." Irina said from the bedroom doorway.

* * *

**Okay, that's all for today, but I'll get the next chapter in as soon as I finish writing it. And reviews definitely speed up the writing process! hint hint Just press that lovely purple button of joy and write me a note!**


	11. Unspoken

_Magnificent Lies  
__Unspoken_

"Truth takes time." Irina said from the doorway. She paused, letting her eyes drift slowly from Jack to Vaughn and back again. "We're done with the questioning." She continued as Sydney and Volkov appeared at the doorway.

Sydney had been impressed by Volkov. He was a handsome man; his dark eyes were captivating, his face angular and sharp. But more amazing was his mind. After all his years undercover in France, he still remembered every detail from the KGB life he had left behind. He was able to recap almost every mission he had been on with Irina, and Sydney wouldn't have been surprised if he could recap every mission he had ever been on. He was a lot like Irina, no matter how hard she had tried she hadn't been able to read his face throughout the questioning. Unlike Irina, he seemed friendlier somehow; it wasn't a difficult task to hold a conversation with him like it was with Irina.

She also had noticed that there was something going on between him and Irina. It was as if, after all their years apart, they could still read each other perfectly. It was an odd bond, much like the one she shared with Vaughn.

"Syd?" Vaughn asked, seeing that she was lost in her thoughts. She was brought back to reality when she heard his voice. She smiled at him, then her brows knitted together as she suddenly thought of something.

"Wait," she began. "What are we doing about tonight? We only have two rooms… Who's Volkov staying with?"

"I could go back to my apartment for the night, and meet you back here in the morning." Volkov said, voicing his opinion for the first time. Sydney had also noticed that he liked to stick to the facts as much as possible, much like Jack in that respect.

"No." Jack said firmly. "You're not leaving our custody. Besides, you'll be safer here. There's no guarantee that SD-6 hasn't deployed another team here to look for you." Jack thought about how they would work out the sleeping arrangements. Volkov would have to stay in one of their rooms, obviously. Jack wasn't to keen on having Sydney and Vaughn stay together again, but he couldn't split them up because they still needed to keep up appearances for SD-6. Jack wasn't about to let Irina out of his sight either, although he was hesitant to house her in the same vicinity with Volkov. "Okay. Here's how this is going to work out. Sydney, Vaughn, you stay where you were last night. Send a message to Sloane telling him that the man was not Volkov, that the information must have been faulty. I'll make further arrangements to back up your story. Most likely, he'll have you flown back at some time tomorrow. Irina, Volkov and I will stay here. I'm going to book a flight tonight for us to fly back early tomorrow too." Everyone nodded; his plan made sense. Vaughn glanced down at his watch. Seven o'clock, PM; they had spent the whole day in Jack's hotel room. He looked back up, catching Sydney's eye.

"Well, I'm getting hungry." Sydney began. "If we're all finished here, can Vaughn and I go and get dinner?" She felt like a little kid, excusing herself from the dinner table to go play with her friends.

"Actually, I was thinking that we should all go together." Jack replied, not wanting to leave the two younger agents alone with each other just yet. A cold look from Sydney changed his mind. "But I think we'll just get room service." He added on. "With Volkov it'll be a lot more difficult to remain unseen. Plus, if SD-6 sees us all together, our cover will be blown."

Sydney smiled at Vaughn, and they let themselves out of the hotel room. As Vaughn closed the door behind him, though, Jack caught his eye at the last second, and gave him a warning glare that he would not forget. He quickly shut the door, and they were soon in a taxi.

"Where to?" Vaughn asked Sydney. She started laughing, a light, innocent laugh that made his heart soar to hear. She smiled up at him.

"Actually, I didn't really want to go out to dinner, I just wanted to be alone with you. I thought we could just get Chinese food, maybe go for a walk after dinner." He nodded, and she grinned, leaning on his shoulder as he gave the driver directions to their hotel. As they crossed over the Seine for the second time that day, she was on cloud nine. She was in France, one of her favorite countries, (her favorite after learning that Vaughn had been born in Normandy) snuggling up to her handler who had admitted he loved her the day before, and SD-6 wasn't going to get their hands on Volkov after all.

Fifteen minutes later, they were back at their hotel. Vaughn had asked the concierge for the number of a good Chinese food place nearby on the way in, and had been told to call the _Imperial Choisy, _which offered delivery services as well as great Asian cuisine.

"What do you want from the Chinese place?" He asked as he dialed the number.

"Um, just a spring roll and General Tso's chicken, thanks!" She called from the bedroom, where she was typing the email to Sloane. She had just finished, and was about to shut her laptop when she felt Vaughn's hand on her shoulder. He wound his other hand around her waist to wrap it around her own hand, squeezing it gently.

"Hi." She said softly as he stepped even closer to her.

"Hey." He whispered in her ear. "The food's on it's way." She tilted her head up to kiss him, softly and slowly. His hand slipped from her shoulder down to her waist as he turned her around to face him, and she could feel his lips smiling as they kissed. She grasped his shirt, pulling him towards her, into the kiss, while his hands traced slow, large circles on the small of her back. She was beginning to play with the hair at the nape of his neck when the still-open computer beeped twice.

"I've got mail." She said, leaning her forehead against his. "Three guesses who it's from." She sat back down in the chair and read the email aloud. "Received Intel. Board flight 47 CDG tomorrow, 1200 hours. See you at home." She sighed. The email was short, succinct. Sloane wrote this way when he was disappointed, which he obviously was at the 'failed' mission.

"We have to leave tomorrow." She said sadly. She didn't want to wake up from this fantastic dream. She buried her face in Vaughn's shoulder.

"I know," he replied, smoothing her hair down her back. He had known they would have had to have this conversation at some time; but he had ignored that pesky little voice inside his head, but now it was too loud to ignore any longer. "Sydney… What are we going to do?" She flopped down on the bed, laying on her back. He sat on the end of the bed, trying to smile at her. It seemed every time he looked at her he saw more. All the little things that made her Sydney, he imprinted them in his mind so as to never forget a single one. The way her hair framed her face, the tiny freckles that dotted her collarbone. How he would ever survive without being able to brush the stray hairs away from her big brown eyes, or kiss each and every freckle, he didn't know.

"I don't know." She replied honestly. "I don't know if I can not _be _with you. Before this trip, I think the only reason I could was because I didn't know what it was like. But now… I just, I can't do it."

"I agree. But there are so many issues with this."

"It's not as dangerous as it was before you came into SD-6. We won't have to worry about blowing my cover." She said. "But there's always going to be one thing we won't be able to get around."

"Protocol." They said together, smiling. They sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking almost exactly the same thing. Sydney spoke first, beating Vaughn by only a few seconds.

"Vaughn?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think I could have done all this without you. In fact, I probably would have gone crazy by now if you hadn't been my handler." She paused for a second, trying to work out how to put what she was thinking into words. "Don't you think, to some extent, our success is due to our feelings for each other? If you hadn't cared about me, and worried about me, and been willing to risk your life to help me out, I'd be dead a hundred times over."

Just then there was a knock on the door, and they could smell the Chinese food that awaited them. Vaughn got up from the bed, and returned with a large, delicious smelling bag. He unpacked it all on the bed, then fished in the bottom for some chopsticks, and sat down. Sydney carefully moved to a cross-legged position, careful not to tip over any of the red and white cartons.

"Mmmm" She said, as Vaughn handed her the General Tso's chicken. Peering curiously at Vaughn's carton, she asked him what he had ordered.

"A serving of Spicy Chicken Wontons and drunken noodles. Here." He got a bite of the spicy noodles onto his chopsticks and leaned across the bed to feed it to Sydney, who smiled as she chewed it, then offered Vaughn a piece of her chicken.

They continued to eat like this, feeding each other and laughing, until they had exhausted their supply of Chinese food. (Even the spicy chicken wontons, which had been almost too spicy to eat.) Vaughn then stacked all the empty cartons on top of each other, but didn't bother to get up and throw them away just yet. Instead, he turned around and put them on the floor near the foot of the bed. When he faced Sydney again, she had moved to sit close to him, their knees touching. She grinned at him, putting her hands on the sides of his face, and kissed him.

Her mouth was still spicy from the food, which only made the kiss better as his lips were soon set afire. He put his hands on her hips, soon beginning to draw slowly on her back, but didn't go any further. They had an unspoken agreement; they were going to take it slow.

Sydney was the one who finally broke the kiss, leaving Vaughn still kneeling on the bed.

"Hey!" He said playfully. "I wasn't done!" She smiled over her shoulder at him, walking into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Vaughn got up and stretched, then followed her into the bathroom to brush his teeth with her. He was amazed at how she could make something as simple as brushing her teeth look seductive. Sydney finished first, and got dressed for bed while he was still in the bathroom. She undressed quickly, then stole one of Vaughn's shirts and threw the covers down so she could get into bed. Vaughn entered the room just as she was pulling them up over her, and caught a glimpse of her bare legs and side, causing him to grin and her to blush. Vaughn unbuttoned his shirt, turning around to put it back in his suitcase. He heard Sydney mumble something that sounded a lot like "damn," but he decided to pretend he hadn't heard a thing. He quickly pulled his pants off and slid under the covers, smiling as Sydney immediately snuggled up to his side, leaning her smooth back against his chest. They both fell asleep with smiles on their faces.

* * *

**Hi everyone… J Thought you might like a fluffy chapter today… More to come, of course. (As long as I get some reviews, as always. Seriously just a 1 word review would make my day.) So review. Okay, if you like SV fluff read my other stories, Caught Up In Reality, which is finished already, and LoveWar. **

**REVIEW oh please oh please oh PLEASE!**


	12. Niege

_Magnificent Lies  
__Niege_

Sydney woke up to the bright French sun streaming through the hotel window. She tried ignoring it for a while, snuggling closer to Vaughn's warm, bare chest, but it soon became too bright tune out.

"Why is it so bright…." She mumbled to herself as she squinted at the clock that rested on the nightstand. Seven o'clock.

Sitting up in the bed and looking out the window, she gasped as she saw the reason for the overwhelming brightness. Everything was covered in a layer of snow. All she could see was white, with the dark Seine running past in a blur, flooded from the heavy precipitation. It had been cold and cloudy the days beforehand, but she hadn't expected a snowstorm. If she looked closer, she could see a myriad of snowflakes falling, clumping together on the ground below.

She felt Vaughn sit up next to her, missing the warmth from her body.

"Syd?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "Wha- Wow." His sparkling green eyes took it all in, from the snow-frosted Eiffel Tower to the barely visible streets. Most had been snow-plowed, but the snow quickly recovered the asphalt. He wrapped his arms around Sydney from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I like waking up with you." She said, sinking back into the warmth of Vaughn's chest. He began to plant butterfly kisses on her neck and shoulder, grinning like a fool when she tilted her head to the side to give him better access to the smooth skin. Suddenly she had a thought about something other than how amazing Vaughn was. "What about our flight?" She asked. "It doesn't look like they are going to be allowing any planes to take off for a while. How are we going to get home?"

"I'll call the airport, but I'm sure that all flights are going to be cancelled for a while. Do you think your parents got out before the snow?" He replied, voicing his own question. He hoped that Irina, Volkov, and especially Jack had flown back to Los Angeles. He wanted some time away from Jack so that he could get used to the fact that he had killed his father, and he also couldn't stand the idea of having Jack looming over his shoulder every time he went to give Sydney a kiss or hold her hand.

"I'll check." Sydney said, and withdrew the binoculars from their spot in her suitcase. She pulled a robe around her, over Vaughn's shirt, and stepped out onto the freezing cold balcony, her bare toes curling up as they made contact with the powdery snow.

Focusing in on the hotel room her parents had occupied, she gasped at what she saw.

"Vaughn!" She called into the hotel room. "_Vaughn!" _

He ran out onto the balcony, still shirtless. She speechlessly handed her binoculars to him. The hotel room was torn apart, drawers out, rug thrown back, furniture torn. Looking down at the street below, Vaughn saw a white van speed past, barely stopping to let three men jump in. It was almost like they had been looking for something, the way they had torn up the hotel room. He assumed it hadn't been SD-6, because they hadn't know that Jack was in France. Despite eliminating one of the chief suspects, he was still left with quite a few; any number of spy rings may have been searching for Volkov too, and somehow tracked him to Jack's hotel room, either visually or by electronics.

Meanwhile Sydney frantically searched for her cell phone, then sat down on the bed anddialed her voicemail. There was a message from Francie, just saying hello, and then her father's voice came on.

"Sydney, it's me. I wanted to let you know that we got the last flight out. I'll call you when we land."

She let out a huge sigh of relief at this. Vaughn returned from the balcony, his forehead wrinkling as he thought.

"We can't stay here. Whoever they were, if they were after your parents or Volkov, we're in trouble."

"I know. But it doesn't look like they are going to be letting any planes fly for a while. It's still snowing pretty hard, and there must be at least a foot of snow on the ground already. Where can we go?" They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"When I was a kid, we used to go skiing, every year. It was this place on the Alps, Combloux. We could go there, maybe even have a little fun on the slopes while we wait for the weather to clear up." He grinned at the thought of a ski-vacation with Sydney.

"Sounds great. Do we need reservations?" Sydney was excited now. This mission really _had_ turned into a vacation. A dream vacation. And though she knew it would have to end at some point, it didn't look like it would be soon.

"Nope. My parents know the owner of a nice hotel there. It'll be no problem." He paused. "My mom lives in Nice. Maybe we could see her before we leave. I'd like her to meet you. If you want, I mean." He turned a little pink, he had never invited any of his girlfriends to meet his mother before. But the huge beaming smile that never failed to make his heart skip about a million beats quickly reassured him. She didn't even need to say anything.

"When do we leave?" She asked after giving him a kiss, getting up from the bed and stretching out her still sleepy muscles.

"As soon as we can. I don't want to risk being found by those guys from your parents hotel. We can take a cab to a rental car place." Vaughn said, then went to call to reserve a car. Meanwhile, Sydney started packing her things, zipping the suitcase just as Vaughn hung up the phone.

"I'll call Sloane while you pack up." She said. Vaughn nodded and pulled out his suitcase. As he walked over to the closet to get his suits out of it, she pulled out her cell phone, dialing the number she knew by heart, and turning on the bug-killer she kept in her suitcase whenever she traveled.

"Arvin Sloane." His voice came through after two rings. Just the sound of his voice gave her goose-bumps.

"Mr. Sloane, this is Sydney Bristow."

"Ah, Sydney. I heard about the snowstorm." He said, sounding pleased to hear from her. She could just imagine him sitting in his bare office, leaning back in his chair as he talked to her.

"Yes, it looks like we might be stuck here for a while." She paused, knowing there was no way she could tell him about the people who had raided her parents room without exposing them. "Agent Vaughn and I are going to lay low for a while, but we'll try to get back as soon as we can."

"Don't worry about it Sydney. You deserve a few days off." Sydney could barely believe her ears. "After all, France is a lovely country, not one to be rushed through. It was Emily's favorite country, actually, after Italy of course." Sloane stopped, his thoughts of Emily distracting him. Sydney took this as a signal to end the conversation.

"Thank you. I'll call you in a few days then?"

"Yes." He said, and she was about to hang up when he continued. "And Sydney? Try to have some fun." Then she heard a soft click and knew he had disconnected. Sydney pressed the end call button on her cell, then heading to help Vaughn pack. It wasn't strange for Sloane to insist she had a few days off, but it _was _odd that he had seemed so distracted on the phone. She just brushed it off though; what did she care if Sloane had finally gone of the edge? If anything, it would only make her job easier.

When Vaughn's suitcase was packed up again, they headed out of their room and onto the elevator. As they stepped off into the lobby, walking side by side, Vaughn subconsciously put his hand the small of her back, guiding her to the reception desk and putting a huge smile on Sydney's face. She was noticing that this happened a lot around Vaughn.

They checked out, and got a cab outside, and about a half an hour later they were standing in front of a new looking silver Chevrolet SUV.

"Wow. We kind of lucked out on the rental car lottery!" Sydney exclaimed, then narrowed her eyes at Vaughn playfully. "Vaughn? What did you do?"

"Who, me?" Vaughn said innocently, then grinned and opened the passenger side door for her. Soon they were on the road, heading southeast towards Nice and Combloux.

O > O > O > O > O > O > O > O > O > O > O > O >

**More ASAP!!!!! I am having _so _much fun with this fic!!! Except for deciding which car they were going to have. Not my strong point. Anyway, I am totally loving all the _beautiful, amazing, wonderful_ reviews! **

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	13. Questions

_Magnificent Lies  
__Questions_

Earlier that morning, Jack had sat in the terminal, waiting for the plane that would take them out of Paris. They didn't have a direct flight, they were to stop over in Iceland before continuing to Los Angeles. He had lost in thought since he had woken up that morning, after a fitful nights sleep. He didn't remember if he had dreamed or not, but he recalled waking up several times during the night, only to lie awake in the bed until he relaxed enough to slip back into slumber.

Now he was thinking about Irina again. More specifically, he was thinking about the kiss, though he'd never admit it, even to himself. Somehow, Irina had managed to thoroughly confuse him in the short time they had been in Paris. First the kiss, and then sneaking off to find Volkov? And then, most astonishing of all, returning on her own accord? The only thing that could await her if she stayed with the CIA was her cold, dark cell.

When she had first turned herself in, he had thought the cell was too good for her, but on reflection he couldn't believe he had let them put her in there. Then again, she was able to deal with the loneliness of the cell, as he would be. One of their many similarities; they didn't crave the company of others.

The loudspeaker came on to announce that their plane was ready to be boarded, and he led Irina onto the large jet. Volkov followed, sitting in his seat across the aisle from Jack and Irina. As he sat down, he suddenly realized that this trip had forever changed his relationship with her. He looked over at Irina, who was staring out the window of the plane in the seat next to him. She seemed different. Softer somehow, more human.

How could they go back to Los Angeles and act like everything was the same?

* * *

Vaughn automatically drove through the narrow streets in Paris. A thin layer of pure white snow covered the road, softening the sounds of the city. Snowflakes fell gently down onto the windshield, soon wiped away by the rhythmic passing of the windshield wipers. He looked over at Sydney. 

What had he done in life to deserve this feeling of happiness? No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think of words that could do justice to the way he was feeling at that moment.

Sydney looked in awe at the beautiful sight out the window, then glanced down at the side mirror to check out the even more wondrous sight that was inside the car. She smiled as she saw Vaughn's green eyes watching her. He looked at her the same way she looked at him. And after two years of hidden glances and shrouded feelings, that was a relief.

"So." She said, turning to face him. "How many of the myriad of Vaughn-girls have been introduced to Mrs. Vaughn.?" She asked playfully. Vaughn just smiled, pretending to concentrate on the road. "Ten?" She guessed. "Twenty?" No answer, just an ever-widening grin. "Vaughn! Come on!"

"You really want to know?" He asked.

"Yes!"

"Do you _really_ want to know?" He asked again, having fun playing with her.

"Vaughn, don't make me kick your ass." She teased.

"Okay, okay" He laughed, putting a twinkle in Sydney's eye. "You'll be the first."

"No… I don't believe you." She stated, shaking her head. "I'll bet you've been bringing home girls every month."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it's true." Vaughn said, glancing over at her. Like he could ever tell a lie to Sydney. "I've never brought a girlfriend home before."

"Not even Alice?" She asked hopefully.

"Not even Alice." He assured her, turning again to watch as a big, satisfied smile spread across Sydney's face. "My turn," he said, grinning at her surprised face.

"What? Who said anything about you getting a turn?" Sydney said indignantly. "That wasn't the deal!"

"What _was _the deal?" Vaughn asked.

"You tell me how many girls you've brought home, I don't kick your ass."

"Okay, well here's a new deal. You tell me how many guys you've brought home, and I don't put the 'No Touching' rule in effect." Vaughn said flirtatiously. He could tell he was going to like this trip.

"No fair." Sydney said, pouting. "I don't like this game anymore."Vaughn laughed. He'd never seen her this playful before. He was glad he was focused on the road, because he didn't think he'd be able to enforce the 'No Touching' rule if he could see her pouting face.

Sydney decided to try a different tactic; at a stop light she leaned across the console, intending on placing a kiss on the base of his jaw. Vaughn however, playfully pushed her back.

"Nope. No answer, no kisses." He said firmly.

"Fine. You win. One guy. Happy now?"

"Yes, very happy." He knew that the one guy was Danny, but he didn't want to bring up that subject just yet. Instead, he pulled up at an coffee shop, parking the car. He leaned across to give Sydney a soft, tender kiss, then got out of the car and led her into the shop, holding hands.

* * *

Jack and Irina's plane finally landed in Reykjavik, Iceland. They had a half hour to wait before the flight that would take them back to Los Angeles. Normally, this would be more than enough time, but Jack had been doing a lot of thinking on the long plane flight, and finally was hardened with resolve. 

They got off the plane, Jack walking ahead with Irina and Volkov following closely behind.

"Our next flight is out of gate 11." Irina stated, looking at their tickets. She glanced up at Jack. "It's the other way."

"I know. I need to make a call first." He said, walking over to one of the giant windows in the airport, where he would get better reception on his cell phone. Irina looked at him oddly, then followed, standing a polite distance away so he could make his call in private. She was surprised at herself for this, the old Irina would have driven him crazy, had a little fun. She suddenly realized how their relationship had changed. They had boundaries now. Normally, she would have investigated every angle of this change, but right now she wasn't in the mood. She shoved the thought to the back of her mind, and told herself she'd look into it later. Instead she just watched Jack. Though she couldn't hear the conversation, she carefully studied his composure throughout the call, though she gleaned little from his actions.

"Okay. Everything's settled." Jack said, hanging up and walking towards Irina and Volkov. Getting a questioning look from Irina, one that was more curious than demanding, he explained. "Volkov will be picked up from LAX when he arrives."

"I was under the impression that we would take him to the CIA headquarters, and then you would drive me back to my cell." Irina said, hiding her confusion. "What happened to that plan?"

"Plans change. Volkov will be taken to CIA headquarters by another agent. We, however, are staying here for a while."

"Why?" Irina asked. "Does the CIA have another mission for us?"

"No."

"Then what? It doesn't make any sense for us to stay here."

"I know. But we're not leaving until we sort… _this _out." He said, his brow furrowed in thought. Their eyes met, each of them trying to find some answers in the other's eyes, but they found only more questions.

* * *

**Wow… Chapter Thirteen already!!! Review or you'll incur the curse of the unlucky thirteenth chapter!!!**

**PS: This fic is officially longer than CUIR! And many more chapters to go. So review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Come on... just one word?**

3


	14. Fire and Ice

_Magnificent Lies  
Fire and Ice_

Irina just looked at him. This was so un-Jack, she couldn't even explain it. The real Jack would have just flown back to Los Angeles and pretend nothing had ever happened. The _real _Jack would have assumed she had just been playing with him on this trip, setting him up for her 'ultimate plan.' The _real _Jack would _not_ have spontaneously taken time off his work to settle the relationship he had with a hostage of the CIA. She hadn't seen him like this for thirty years. This was the Jack she had married all those years ago.

Thinking about this, she realized that the Jack that she had gotten married to so long ago was gone now. She had seen no trace of him, until now. It was as if Jack had been so ashamed of himself for everything she'd done to him, he had become another person to protect himself.

"Irina?" Jack asked, peering into her face. She had been staring at the same spot on the floor for a few minutes now. At any other time he would have a smug smile on his face for being able to confuse her in this way, but the fact was that he was just as confused as she was. Therefore, the expression that wreathed his features was one of vexation. His voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Her eyes refocused on his face, then widened in surprise. He looked genuinely concerned for her. Which of course only confused her further. "Oh, I'm fine. Just thinking."

Jack nodded. Always a dangerous thing, when Irina started thinking. Her mind was capable of anything. That was one of the reasons he had married her. Married Laura. Whatever. They weren't that different, he thought to himself. Physically, there were very few differences. Irina's face was more angular, harder to read. Laura's features were softer, though they both had the aura of intelligence, evident in her dark eyes. They were both playful, though in vastly different ways. Laura had been more outwardly, physically playful, while Irina appeared to enjoy mind games, especially ones that only _she_ knew the rules of.

Comparing them in his mind, he subconsciously came to the conclusion that Irina was more attractive, both in body and in mind. Upon realizing what he was thinking, he immediately rationalized with himself. What was he doing comparing them? Besides the fact that they were _the same person_, it was crazy that he should value the woman who had destroyed his life above the one who had brought into existence the woman who had rebuilt it; Sydney. He shoved his thoughts to the back of his mind, deciding to ignore them for now.

He cleared his throat, then spoke.

"Mr. Volkov, there will be someone by the name of Agent Weiss waiting for you in the Los Angeles airport. He'll get you to the CIA safely and get you settled. Irina and I are going to see you off, and then we will follow in a few days.

The other man nodded, then followed them as they headed towards gate eleven. After waiting for the plane to arrive, Jack let Irina say her goodbyes, and soon Volkov was in the air.

Within the hour, Jack had rented a car from the airport and they were in front of their new hotel.

Even Irina was awed by the immense building. To be sure, she had seen bigger, but this one was definitely the most beautiful she had ever seen. It was made entirely of ice. The outside was a frosted, pure white structure, very rough and rugged. The windows were the only thing not made of ice.

Inside it was the total opposite. The walls were smooth and clear, a few of the walls and fixtures had been colored.

Jack quickly approached the front desk, stepping in line behind a few other groups. Irina slowly followed, taking in her surroundings. Most of the bystanders were rich looking couples, ranging in age from twenty-some to the late sixties. There were no children to be seen.

Finally it was their turn to check in. Jack stepped forward with Irina close behind. The receptionist immediately smiled at Jack.

"Welcome back to Reykjavik, Mr. Bristow." She said familiarly.

"Thank you." He paused. "May I introduce my wife, Mrs. Bristow?" Irina raised her eyebrows at this, but plastered on a fake smile, resisting the urge to grind a heel into Jack's toes for trying to play with her this way. The woman smiled back and proceeded to give them their hotel keycards.

"Have a nice stay, sir."

The bell boy, clad in a pale blue-gray suit that enabled him to easily fall back into obscurity when he was not needed, loaded their few cases onto the silver trolley and showed them to their room.

* * *

After a long drive across the French countryside, Sydney and Vaughn were in the final few minutes of their trip. For the past half hour, they had been driving up a mountain, along a very windy road.

Finally they made it to the top, and they both looked down in wonder. A valley lay in front of them, speckled with little cabins puffing smoke from their chimneys and colored flags marking the ski routes.

"How often do you come here?" Sydney asked as they continued towards the large main building.

"I used to come every year; before I joined the CIA."

"Oh, yes. God forbid you take a few days off." She teased.

"Hey, I've taken days off before." Vaughn said defensively.

"Vaughn, as long as I've known you, you've never taken a day off from work. In fact, you work overtime. When was the last time you took a vacation?"

"I used to take a week off every November, to go someplace warm, usually Fiji. Lets see… The first time I skipped it was about two years ago."

"Right after you were assigned to be my handler." Sydney observed, glancing away from the sights outside to look at Vaughn. "Why'd you miss it?" She asked, even though she probably knew the answer.

"I think my reasoning was that if I didn't go, then I'd be available to help you if you needed me."

"So, in other words, your concern for my safety stopped you from spending a week on a beautiful, warm island surrounded by gorgeous girls in bikinis?"

"Why would I want to spend a week on a beautiful, warm island, surrounded by gorgeous girls in bikinis when I could be spending time with my beautiful, smart, sexy co-worker?"

"Who, Kendall?" Sydney deadpanned. Vaughn chuckled, but the mention of the CIA had allowed all the worries in the back of his mind to resurface in full force. He glanced over at Sydney as he put the car into park. Her smile was faded, and she was biting her lip. Apparently she was having similar thoughts.

"Hey." He said, reaching over to touch her face. "We'll figure all this out. I promise."

"Really?" She asked, thoughts of SD-6, the CIA, Sloane, Danny, and Noah all swarming in her mind.

"Have I ever lied to you?" He said with a smile. "Lets just enjoy our time off and we'll find a way to deal with this."

"You always know just what to say." Sydney replied, the smile back on her face. She leaned in to kiss him, meaning it to be quick and chaste. Apparently that plan didn't work out, because at least seven minutes passed and they were still in the car. Finally Vaughn broke away.

"Syd, as much as I hate to stop, we need to check in before six or they'll give our room to someone else. At this rate, we won't be getting out of the car for a long time." Sydney just smiled over her shoulder as she stepped out of the car.

* * *

**Hey everyone… Sorry for the lateness… spent the last week out of town for X-mas. Thanks for all the great reviews, especially _katejones2005_ for hers! Right after a dentist appointment (ewww reminds me of Creepy-Chinese-Guy/Suit-and-Glasses/Dr. Lee whatever he's called…) anyway, that was exactly what I needed! J You guys are so great. And you know what? The perfect belated holiday present to me would be a review, so everyone who reads this should write one in the belated holiday spirit!!! Thanks!**


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